When I reached the center of the camp, Jimei was already there, standing in the middle of the desolate clearing, calmly sliding a cloth across the blade of his kunai. He looked no different than usual, except for the grim expression on his face and the blood staining his weapon.
Nothing about his posture or clothes suggested he had killed anyone. If not for the crimson-streaked rag and the shadow in his eyes, I would've thought he hadn't done anything at all.
"The eastern sector is clear." My voice came out hoarse, less steady than I would've liked.
Jimei turned to me, surprised. His eyes scanned my body, and he widened them in shock.
"Daaang! You look like you got tossed into a meat grinder!" He tried to joke, but the surprise in his voice outweighed the humor.
"Heh. And you look like you just went out for a midnight patrol." I replied, still numb from the sheer number of lives I had taken.
I forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace and tried to keep my tone light. Jimei studied me for a moment before relaxing slightly and slipping his kunai back into his pouch.
He let out a dry chuckle.
"I used genjutsu. Kept them asleep before I finished them off. One strike to vital points—just like Dekai-sensei taught us." His voice was neutral. No pride. No guilt. "There were three sleeping and two guards. Nothing complicated."
I nodded slowly, processing what he'd said. Only five?
No… Not just five. Five people. He killed five people.
Even though I killed more tonight, in my old life, Jimei would've been considered a serial killer for something like this.
"Looks like I got the short end of the stick... my sector was crawling with awake ones." I said, thoughtful.
Before we could continue, heavy footsteps drew our attention. Dekai-sensei was approaching with Natsu beside him. The girl looked shaken—her eyes red and glassy, her body trembling ever so slightly.
She seemed utterly drained, yet there wasn't a single drop of blood on her clothes, her weapons, or her hands. Dekai watched her with quiet concern, clearly unsure how to handle the situation. I was surprised—I'd never seen him look so uncertain before.
"Are you finished?" Dekai asked, his voice as firm as always, though his expression betrayed his confusion.
Jimei and I both nodded.
"Good." He glanced briefly at Natsu, then continued. "Start searching the camp for anything useful. After that, we need to gather the bodies and prepare them for burning."
It was then that Natsu finally looked at me. The moment her eyes met my blood-soaked figure, her face drained of all color. If she'd looked pale before, now she looked like a ghost.
I tried offering her a reassuring smile, but her reaction was pure terror. Her trembling intensified, and she quickly turned away.
That confused me.
Why did she react like that?
Dekai let out a sigh, hesitated for a moment, then looked at me and Jimei.
"Kenshin, gather the bodies in the center of the camp. Natsu and I will search for valuables. Jimei, you're with me."
Jimei obeyed immediately, stepping up beside our sensei. I noticed Dekai was speaking to him, but my attention drifted back to Natsu.
I still didn't understand why she was so shaken. Something told me the lack of blood on her clothes didn't mean she hadn't killed.
With no time left to dwell on it, I took a deep breath and got to work.
I started with Jimei's section. The kills were clean, painless. Each body had a single, precisely placed cut—no mess, no blood splatter. It was surgical, almost clinical.
Then I moved to Natsu's area... and it was strange. Only three bodies, none showing any visible wounds. My mind immediately jumped to the Jūken, the Hyūga clan's gentle fist technique. A deadly and discreet style. When executed properly, it could kill without spilling a drop of blood.
I examined the corpses for a moment, a wave of discomfort washing over me.
Natsu killed these people—but the way she did it felt almost unreal. Why was she so disturbed?
I knew she was a kind person, but the expressions frozen on the bandits' faces… it looked like they hadn't even had time to react. Like they just died in their sleep.
Even Jimei's kills looked messier than hers. And neither of them was nearly as soaked in blood as I was…
Well, I couldn't get caught up in that now.
I swallowed hard and headed toward my own area.
The stench hit me before I even saw the bodies. Blood had pooled into dark puddles across the dirt, and the tents were stained with grotesque splashes. A bitter taste rose in my throat, but I ignored it, forcing an ironic smile.
"Guess I'm the messiest of the team…" I muttered to myself. "And the unluckiest too."
My hands trembled slightly as I dragged one of the corpses toward the center. The signs of battle were everywhere. Some victims were barely recognizable—faces crushed, bones twisted at unnatural angles.
The weight of the slaughter clung to me like a suffocating shroud.
I focused on the task. I didn't think about the frozen expressions of terror, or the cold bodies, or the empty eyes that seemed to stare back at me.
I just kept moving.
Eventually, I finished gathering the corpses. The center of the camp now looked like an improvised graveyard.
When I turned around, Dekai, Jimei, and Natsu were already waiting. A small pile of weapons, supplies, and scrolls sat nearby—items that might prove useful.
I approached them, my clothes still clinging to my body, heavy with dried blood. I glanced at Natsu again. She looked worse than before. Jimei avoided meeting my gaze, as if he didn't want to face the aftermath of what I'd left behind.
Dekai broke the silence.
"Good work. So the mission is done."
His dark eyes scanned the three of us, measuring the toll this night had taken. He understood. He knew the weight we were carrying—but he also knew there was no time for hesitation.
"Each of you can take two items. The rest will be brought back to Konoha." He pointed to the pile. "No money. That goes back to the client."
I glanced at the stack and sighed, eyeing the pile of ryō off to the side. There had to be thousands there.
Jimei, unfazed, rushed forward and grabbed a ridiculously shiny golden kunai and a scroll.
Next to Dekai-sensei, Natsu looked even more distressed after his words. I heard her whisper softly to him.
"I… I don't want any of this."
Dekai sighed.
"Natsu, you did what you had to do as a shinobi. I know it's hard. But this is part of our life."
"But… looting the dead…" She hesitated, eyes on the items.
"This isn't looting. We're reclaiming resources. If we don't take them, someone else will. Konoha needs every tool it can get."
She fell silent, and I turned my focus back to the gear.
After looking at the options, I quickly discarded the low-quality swords. There was no point in carrying something heavy if it wasn't going to be useful. Some of the shuriken were sharp, but I already had enough. Then, my eyes landed on the scrolls.
I picked up the first one and unrolled it—it was a water-style ninjutsu. So was the second. They wouldn't be of much use to me, but I remembered Natsu has a natural affinity for Suiton. I set them aside for her and kept going.
The third scroll made my eyes widen.
"Raigeki no Yoroi…" I whispered.
I skimmed through the contents quickly. It wasn't the Lightning Armor of the Raikage, but there were similarities—perhaps a failed attempt to replicate it. Even so, it was worth taking.
That left me with one more item to choose. The jewels were the most valuable option, but something else caught my eye: a book. I picked it up, surprised to find it still intact despite being worn. My eyes lit up as I read the title. "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi."
Jiraiya's first book.
When I opened it, I found a handwritten dedication on the inside cover:
"To Orochimaru, my old friend. I know you were never fond of stories like this, but I still hope you find something in it. The smartest one doesn't always win. Sometimes it's the one who never gives up. Maybe that doesn't matter to you, but to me, it means everything. – Jiraiya."
I stood in silence.
How did this end up here?
I flipped through the pages, caught between surprise and irony. When I first joined the academy, I searched every bookstore in Konoha for this book but never found a single copy. Deep down, I accepted that it probably hadn't sold well.
And now, during a mission, among the belongings of dead bandits, I find one. And not just any copy—one with a personal message to Orochimaru. Fate clearly had a strange sense of humor.
As I flipped through the pages, I noticed notes scribbled in the margins. Orochimaru had written comments. This was a relic. I scanned his notes quickly and saw that while some were critiques of the book's weak plot, others were very different.
Some were research sketches, reflections on techniques, and even rough jutsu ideas. It was as if Orochimaru had used the book as a notebook, blending literary sarcasm with strategic thoughts. That made the discovery even more fascinating.
I took a deep breath before standing up, scrolls and book in hand. I walked over to Natsu, feeling the weight of exhaustion and the lingering tension between us. She noticed me coming but said nothing, her gaze fixed downward, arms crossed like she was trying to shield herself from the moment.
I approached and casually extended the scrolls.
"Here, these are for you."
Natsu looked up, hesitant, eyeing the scrolls like they were forbidden. "I... I'm not sure I should take them..."
"I understand how you feel… I really do." I sighed, locking eyes with her pale ones. "They won't need these anymore. And besides, they stole them from innocent people. You can use them to do something good now. These techniques can save lives instead of ending them. That's part of what we do as shinobi."
She bit her lip, clearly battling herself. After a moment, she sighed and took the scrolls with slightly trembling hands.
"Thank you… I guess."
I watched as her fingers traced over the blood-stained cover of one scroll, lost in thought. The silence between us was no longer as heavy, and that was already progress.
"I know people from your clan don't usually use elemental ninjutsu, but I thought it might be useful. Water is your element, isn't it?" I added, trying to steer her attention away from where the scroll had come from.
Natsu seemed surprised I was still talking to her—her eyes widened slightly before she answered.
"Y-Yes… it is. I'll…" She hesitated, then softly added "I'll do my best to learn it, Kenshin-kun."
"I believe you will. I mean, I'm sure it'll be more useful than that ridiculous golden kunai Jimei picked out." I said, forcing a laugh.
She let out a short chuckle—the first sign of relief since we started talking.
"True, but it does suit him."
Seeing her expression soften, I felt a small sense of relief. The weight between us seemed lighter now, even if just a little. Natsu looked calmer about what had happened, and that mattered. Despite everything, we were still teammates. No matter what we faced, we still had a long road ahead.
Dekai then sealed the remaining items into a scroll and stepped back.
"Everyone, fall back."
We did. He formed hand seals and then unleashed a massive fireball. The campsite was engulfed in flames.
As we made our way back to Konoha, the atmosphere had lightened somewhat. I glanced at the storage scroll containing the book and the lightning armor scroll, then looked at Natsu, who seemed to be in a better mood than before.
This mission had brought me more than I expected.